


A Thousand Winds That Blow

by enby0angel



Series: KakaObi Week 2020 [6]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Divergence, F/M, Falling In Love, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, KakaObi Week 2020, M/M, Obito lives, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, Soulmate AU, Soulmates, kakashi centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22750570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enby0angel/pseuds/enby0angel
Summary: Kakashi didn’t need a soulmate, even though his words burned through his skin whenever he saw old photos of his parents, or Minato-sensei and Kushina looking at each other like they were the only people in the room.Or: the Soulmate AU where soulmates have parts of the same quote marked on them from birth.KakaObi Week Day 7: Soulmates
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina, Umino Iruka/Yamato | Tenzou
Series: KakaObi Week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628785
Comments: 28
Kudos: 466
Collections: KakaObi Week 2020





	A Thousand Winds That Blow

**Author's Note:**

> Soulmate AUs are my shiiiiiiiiiit
> 
> I'm dying from this challenge, guys, the writer's blcok is real and I am Not Happy, Jan. A to pray.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!! <3

Hatake Sakumo never talked about his words to Kakashi. To a young Kakashi, it was almost like his father never had words, though later he understood that the grief of losing his mother made him cover them up and never look at them again.

Kakashi’s own words always confused him. As a child, he read piles and bookshelves worth of books in an attempt to find the quote that his words came from, but to no avail.

After Sakumo’s death, Kakashi stopped looking. He covered the words up with bandages and cast them to the back of his mind, no longer worth his attention.

Soulmates were a distraction. All that mattered was the mission.

His new sensei, Namikaze Minato, confused him. He never hid his words, almost flaunted them with pride, especially when Kushina was with him. The two of them were an army by themselves, two pieces of a complete set that perfectly complimented each other - and all that other romance-novel crap.

Kakashi didn’t need a soulmate, even though his words burned through his skin whenever he saw old photos of his parents, or Minato-sensei and Kushina looking at each other like they were the only people in the room.

Not even when Rin blushed pink whenever he looked at her, or when Obito so adamantly declared that he was _sure_ she was his soulmate.

  
  


Rin asked what his words were, once. He just coldly replied that it doesn’t matter. He looked away from the heartbroken look in her eyes.

  
  


He never made the connection.

When the rock fell, he didn’t make the connection.

When the cave collapsed in on itself, he didn’t make the connection.

When Obito’s name was carved into the memorial stone, he didn’t make the connection.

When he stood there confessing his sins to his name, day or night, rain or shine, before missions and after, he never made the connection.

He never made the connection although his words so boldly declared _ **I did not die**_.

  
  


“ _Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful.”_ \- Annette Funicello

  
  


After Rin’s death ( _her blood would stain his hands forever_ ), he joined ANBU and felt relief that he had very little time to think about his soulmate. Every ANBU’s words were covered up to protect their identities and their soulmates, and who Kakashi was and who he was destined to be with didn’t matter anymore.

He only ever met one ANBU who didn’t have words.

Tenzo didn’t seem to realise that not having words was unusual when he asked Kakashi about it. He had only burns and scars where his words would have rested on his skin.

Kakashi explained to him that the words were only half complete: your soulmate had the other half. When Tenzo confirmed that he had seen the Hokage’s words, he explained the connection between them:

Kushina’s words were the first half, reading _**Life does not have to be perfect**_ , and Minato-sensei’s finished the quote with _**to be wonderful**_.

The words mean something to you, your life and the relationship you will have with your soulmate.

Tenzo looked so unbelievably sad after this conversation. He didn’t remember what his words were, he confessed to Kakashi. He never remembered having them.

  
  


ROOT burned them away, he later realised.

Danzo never got his hands on Kakashi’s.

  
  


Integrating Tenzo into the village was altogether complicated and hilarious. The first time he was taken out for a few drinks with a large crowd of jonin and tokujo (plus one chunin - Genma, Anko and Asuma had all taken the initiative to invite Iruka along) was interesting, to say the least.

Kakashi felt a long-repressed yet familiar ache in his chest that night. He saw Asuma and Kurenai with their sleeves rolled up and proudly showing their matching words, Genma and Raidou leaning into one another, and wondered if he would ever have something like they do.

When Anko came over to him and slung an arm around his shoulder to point out Tenzo and Iruka lost in conversation, the ache ended up being overtaken by happiness.

Weeks later, Tenzo showed his arm to Kakashi. On the opposite arm from where the words usually sit lay new words, bold and proud: _**at the most unexpected time**_.

When he quietly whispered that he thinks the other half belongs to a certain chunin-sensei, Kakashi patted his shoulder and body-flickered them to Iruka’s door, knocked loudly enough that it was obviously intentional, and body-flickered away again before Tenzo could do more than sputter protests.

Tenzo looked significantly happier the next day, as did Iruka (whose words, Tenzo later told Kakashi, read _**the most unexpected person**_ ), and Kakashi considered it a job well done.

  
  


“ _The beauty of love is that, you can fall into it with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time.”_ \- Ritu Ghatourey

  
  


Kakashi did find his soulmate eventually.

In the middle of a battlefield.

On opposite sides of a war.

Kakashi felt whatever was left of his heart _shatter_.

  
  


He got Obito back eventually. The war was over, Kakashi’s most precious people survived (though he may never forgive himself for how Gai ended up), and he and Obito were tired of fighting one another.

When Obito was allowed to have visitors without being chained to a hospital bed, they found themselves ready to talk.

And talk they did, like the _actual fucking adults_ Iruka, Tenzo and Tsunade had all said they were.

Eventually, inevitably, the got onto the subject of soulmates.

Obito still had his words written on his arm, and Kakashi asked if he still believed Rin had been his soulmate. He had been surprised at Obito shaking his head.

“I loved her,” he admitted. “But when I found the quote my words are from… I knew it wasn’t her.”

“Did you ever find them?” Kakashi asked quietly.

Obito nodded, catching Kakashi’s eyes. “I met him when we were kids,” he said. “God I hated him at first. He was an absolute asshole and got on every single one of my nerves. But I got on his too. We despised each other for years.”

Kakashi’s mouth went dry. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again when his voice wouldn’t work.

Sighing, Obito rolled his eyes. “Yes, it’s you, you dumbass.” He reached out and slowly took one of Kakashi’s hands in his own, lacing their fingers together.

Staring down at their joined hands, Kakashi was scared to move, afraid that moving a single muscle would end the moment. His gaze travelled over Obito’s bare arm, showing the words _**I am not there**_ over marred skin. Eventually, he looked up and met Obito’s eyes again. “Sorry I’m late,” he said.

Obito smiled a crooked, scarred smile. “Better late than never,” he replied, and Kakashi fell further in love.

  
  


“ _Do not stand at my grave and weep_

_I am not there; I do not sleep._

_I am a thousand winds that blow,_

_I am the diamond glints on snow,_

_I am the sun on ripened grain,_

_I am the gentle autumn rain._

_When you awaken in the morning's hush_

_I am the swift uplifting rush_

_Of quiet birds in circled flight._

_I am the soft stars that shine at night._

_Do not stand at my grave and cry,_

_I am not there; I did not die.”_ \- Mary Elizabeth Frye

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Comments and kudos are always loved <3

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Do Not Stand at My Grave](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24541255) by [dancibayo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancibayo/pseuds/dancibayo)




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